Speak sweetly lest we be judged

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sweet Words

Proverbs tells us that words are sweetness to the soul, but for this to be true our words need to be gracious. Bitter or hurtful words have quite the opposite effect, and harm the spirit of both the person who utters them and the one to whom they are directed. We know that hurtful words generate hatred and anxiety, and we know that these two negative feelings not only harm our bodies and mental health, but our spiritual well-being as well. So how do we receive the words of others, and deliver, or respond to them with our own?

Are We Children of God, or Wrath?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Child of God

As Christian’s we like to refer to ourselves as the children of God, but before we first believed we were something quite different. The Bible refers to those who live in the flesh and carry out the desires of the body and mind as being children of wrath. And, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that even as Christians there are still those times when we find ourselves slipping away from righteousness and back towards wrath. Yes, even after we have come to believe we can find ourselves behaving less like children of God and more like the children of wrath once again. So, let’s ask ourselves a very important question today, “Which of these children are we right now?”

Do We Tremble, or Trust in God’s Provision?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Trusting in God

When we are called by God do we respond with reservation in our voices? Do we tremble as we step forward? Or, does our fear prohibit us from stepping forward at all? These are the things we will contemplate this morning. In order to gauge our own willingness to serve God with total confidence in His provision, we only need to look at the life of Jesus. He chose to live a life of nothing and had nothing. God provided for Him... He sent the Magi with gifts that might sustain Him in His youth, and thus began God's provision. Jesus received as He needed... all this He did that we too might receive riches in glory.

Humility an Important Ingredient of Prayer

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Humility in Prayer

This morning as I read a devotional reading by E.M. Bounds, he stressed the importance of humility in respect to our ability to pray. I especially enjoyed reading his observation that "To be clothed with humility is to be clothed with a prayer garment." Are we clothed in this way as we enter into our prayer closets, or otherwise begin to pray? Do we think that we can be arrogant before God, or demand anything of the creator of all things? Let’s think now about our demeanor as we come before God, or attempt to pray in the name of Jesus.

Moses, and becoming a Mentor to Others

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Mentoring

When we are preparing to do something that frightens us or we are disheartened by events in our lives, have we forgotten that we are not alone? If we know who our God is, that He is all powerful, and that He goes before us, then these emotions, our fear and dismay, are signs that our faith in Him is not as strong as we have thought. Giving into fear and dismay are signs that we do not believe He will help us as He promised, or that we don’t believe He is able. So trust in our Lord, and know that these emotions that we are feeling are fed by the dark one, and aren’t right or true. In hard times lean on our Lord and know that He is able and there always.

The Secret of Sustaining Faith, Despite our Highs and Lows in Life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sustaining Faith

Does our faith suffer when we are struggling or when we find ourselves wanting? If it does then we need to learn a lesson from the Apostle Paul because he discovered the secret of remaining faithful regardless of the circumstances he was facing. We often believe that secrets are difficult to uncover, but in this case it is a simple one… the solution is that we trust in God to provide, to help us do all things, and that we trust in Him always.

Praying the Impossible Prayers

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Impossible Prayers

We frequently say that all things are possible, but do we really believe it? If we hear someone praying an outlandish ask of God do we believe that He is able, or willing, to give it to them? Well, all things ARE possible, but quite often we throttle our prayers by only praying for those things that we know are possible in the physical world. I have been guilty of this before; how about you? Let’s think back on our prayers today and count the times we have asked the Lord to give us something we thought was impossible in the world. Can we think of even one time when we truly stretched our faith in prayer?

Receiving the Blessing of the Peacemaker

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Peacemaker

Although we are Christians, can we remember the last time we made peace in a bad situation? Perhaps we never have, but if by chance we can remember such a time, then we are truly blessed. If we are peacemakers then God promises us a blessing, but what will that blessing be, and in the moment when God reveals it to us will it be everything we imagined? In that blessed instant of unimaginable grace will the gift of holiness we receive allow us to see the brilliant glory of the great I Am, and hear Him call us sons?

Being Transformed by our Belief

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Transformed

When we accept Jesus as Lord are we open to a complete life altering change in who we are, or simply asking Him to alter us in a few handpicked ways? Do we want to become like Jesus and be transformed into His perfect image by becoming a better and more righteous person, or do we simply want to pick and choose those attributes He exhibits that we believe will serve us well in our existing lives? Let’s ask ourselves questions like this… Do I want to be a slightly kinder person, or do I want to be kind as Jesus is kind? Do I want to be more humble, or do I want to be perfectly humble as Jesus is? God wants us to be transformed, but to what degree are we willing to accept the transformation? Will we conform to a complete mental, behavioral, and spiritual change and in so doing obey God’s will for us in its entirety?

Lord take my troubles, and the burdens of my life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Burdens

As Christian believers we are told not to carry our own burdens, but to give them to God, and to Jesus, and yet, many of us are reluctant to release them. Does this sound familiar? When I make this statement are we convicted by it? Are we carrying around heavy loads, and feeling the strain of everyday life that grows into worry, fear, and doubt, when we should be comforted by God’s promise of aid, and Jesus’s assurance that His burden is light?

Of Statues, and Unknown Idols we Serve

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Idols

We hear people proclaim that they are subject to no one. We listen to them as they brag that they are their own person, or sing songs proclaiming that they did it their way, and which are meant to glorify themselves or mankind. But these are the words and songs of the world and are not of God; they are not righteousness and will fall silent in eternity. If we believe that we belong to ourselves, or to anyone or anything other than our Holy Father, then we belong to nothing and are truly lost… our existence is fleeting indeed, and we are destined to die with the world. Who do we believe is God? Who is our shepherd, and who do we serve?

Of Fear, God’s Word, and the Quotes of Men

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Fear and Courage

How much courage do we think we possess? Are we filled with fear and tell ourselves that we can’t do the challenging things in our lives? Does knowing that our God tells us to be strong and have courage help us face the intense situations, and the terrors of the world as we do His will? If we think that we are lacking in courage because we are afraid, we should look deeper into ourselves because courage isn’t the absence of fear… it is obeying God regardless of the fear that is present in us. When God, or angels tell us to fear not they are actually commanding us to stand firm in our faith and belief despite the natural human fear we are feeling.

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